Speakers are like opinions and building them can be the same. Don't get caught up in the high dollar mode of design. Used to be a guy John Krutke who had a site Zaph Audio, its still alive but he hasn't done much to it since he had a child. Go read some of his articles and blog and examine some of his work, he has a good down to earth way of telling things.
Next, if you can, have your hearing tested, I have mine tested every year for work because I work in a very noise prone environment and its required by law. I have been told many times that I have extremely good hearing and can hear tone levels way above the average person. This is why back in the 70's and early 80's when they had huge audio stores I could hear the difference in different manufacturers speakers and some are very extreme. The point being, the only true test of how well a speaker is responding can only be measured with test equipment and not by an individuals ear. What may sound good to Bob may not sound good to Tom because all of our ears are different. Read up on psychoacoustics.
Next thing is to read, read and read some more about speaker design, learn the Thiele/Small parameters, what they mean and how they affect your design. A speaker is a electromechanical device that converts electrical energy to mechanical energy so there is give and take all over the place, there is no one perfect speaker out there, but there are tons of opinions about them, only controlled testing will tell you the truth.
Next, if you can, have your hearing tested, I have mine tested every year for work because I work in a very noise prone environment and its required by law. I have been told many times that I have extremely good hearing and can hear tone levels way above the average person. This is why back in the 70's and early 80's when they had huge audio stores I could hear the difference in different manufacturers speakers and some are very extreme. The point being, the only true test of how well a speaker is responding can only be measured with test equipment and not by an individuals ear. What may sound good to Bob may not sound good to Tom because all of our ears are different. Read up on psychoacoustics.
Next thing is to read, read and read some more about speaker design, learn the Thiele/Small parameters, what they mean and how they affect your design. A speaker is a electromechanical device that converts electrical energy to mechanical energy so there is give and take all over the place, there is no one perfect speaker out there, but there are tons of opinions about them, only controlled testing will tell you the truth.
I'm not an expert, but here's some thoughts assuming you're really a complete beginner. If you just finished building a figured walnut roll-top desk, skip to the next post. 
>Speaker Building is cabinetry with some soldering, if you start with established proven design(s).
I think a good table saw is essential. A quality radial hand saw with saw guides is better than a cheapo bottom of the line table saw. You'll need a router and a circle guide. You'll always need one more clamp than you have.
SAFETY FIRST!! Power tools have no conscious and cut off fingers without remorse. Eye protection is an absolute, these tools work at incredible RPM and can spin off a chunk of wood at lightspeed. Fine sawdust is not good to breathe, use a dustmask or serious dust collection.
>Speaker Design is the deep end of the pool.
I highly recommend Speaker Building 201 by Ray Alden as an excellent primer, even if going with established designs, you'll learn the hows and whys. If you get serious about design and invest in measurement equipment, Testing Loudspeakers by Joseph D'Appolito is another good book.
>Speaker Building is cabinetry with some soldering, if you start with established proven design(s).
I think a good table saw is essential. A quality radial hand saw with saw guides is better than a cheapo bottom of the line table saw. You'll need a router and a circle guide. You'll always need one more clamp than you have.
SAFETY FIRST!! Power tools have no conscious and cut off fingers without remorse. Eye protection is an absolute, these tools work at incredible RPM and can spin off a chunk of wood at lightspeed. Fine sawdust is not good to breathe, use a dustmask or serious dust collection.
>Speaker Design is the deep end of the pool.
I highly recommend Speaker Building 201 by Ray Alden as an excellent primer, even if going with established designs, you'll learn the hows and whys. If you get serious about design and invest in measurement equipment, Testing Loudspeakers by Joseph D'Appolito is another good book.
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Dont do what I did on my first disco speakers.
I built a 4 by 12 inch cabinet and after it was finished it wouldn't go in the car !
On mounting the first speaker I put spanner on back of speaker bolt and screwdriver on front. Then screwdriver slipped and went right through the cone ! I pulled the cone back through and glued it and it was fine for many years.
My first speakers were all screwed together. In later years I got into W bins which were glued. This means all panels have to be exact same width or you get gaps.
So i got my local B&Q DIY store to cut them for me on their huge vertical saw.
It made the job so much easier.
Golden rule of wood working is measure 3 times and cut once !
I built a 4 by 12 inch cabinet and after it was finished it wouldn't go in the car !
On mounting the first speaker I put spanner on back of speaker bolt and screwdriver on front. Then screwdriver slipped and went right through the cone ! I pulled the cone back through and glued it and it was fine for many years.
My first speakers were all screwed together. In later years I got into W bins which were glued. This means all panels have to be exact same width or you get gaps.
So i got my local B&Q DIY store to cut them for me on their huge vertical saw.
It made the job so much easier.
Golden rule of wood working is measure 3 times and cut once !
I'm not a good person to ask that question, I'm a tool junkie. Instrument/electrical and electronics by trade, wood worker by hobby and I'm always in the shop building or repairing something.
First question is what kind of area do you have for working? Garage, outdoor patio etc etc and what do you have for tool storage. Next question what level of hand tool skills do you have?
For basic cabinet building:
Circular saw.
Jigsaw or router for cutting speaker holes.
Electric screwdriver if you intend to use a lot of screws.
Drill.
Are you wanting to just build or learn how to design as well. The easiest place to start is with cabinet design. That's why so many people start on subwoofers. All you need is T/S parameters and some free box modeling software like WinISD or Woofer Box and Circuit Designer.
Crossover design is much more involved, especially if you are going passive. Active is easy to get into, and you can get a decent sounding speaker with a lot less knowledge, but if you want a really good sounding speaker, you still need to know all the basics.
If you are wanting to go full design from scratch, here is what I would do in order:
1) Download a box modeling program and start playing with it. Post your sims and ask for feedback.
2) Buy/build a reference pair of speakers. This could be a well established kit from a proven designer. The reference should measure well in all dimensions. Use the reference pair to calibrate your ear and make adjustments to your own design once you get there.
3) Read some of the books suggested here. Take advice on forums with a grain of salt. There is a lot of bad advice out there that people are willing to give out for free (the irony of this post is not lost on me).
4) Download modeling software. Use baffle simulated frd files to play with the crossover software. Get familiar with it and get feedback on the sims from the message baords.
5) Buy measurement equipment and get familiar with how to use it. Again, ask for feedback here or on PE Tech Talk to get better.
6) Build a design. Take it to gatherings and get feedback from experienced people on the sound and what you could do better.
It takes most people a while to get comfortable with all of this, so don't expect to be an expert over night. If you really want to design and you are starting from scratch, it's a long road of hard work to get good at it.
Every answer I've seen here so far is good advice. I'd add that one of the worst mistakes beginner can make is trying to build "the ULTIMATE speaker!!!" - no, start out simple, maybe build an established Full Range design to get your feet wet, then advance onward and upward after you have more knowledge and experience.
Mike
Mike
I would add that watching you tube videos about building simple cabinets/speaker cabinets might provide some tips that will save you some work, frustration, fingers, eyes, money, etc.
I'd go with the tools listed by nigelwright7557: a decent table saw (decent doesn't always mean expensive), a decent circular saw ( a saw with a track/guide can do in lieu of a table saw, if necessary, but you lose the ability to make cuts exactly the same size to a great extent), a jigsaw, a router and circle guide, drill, an electric screwdriver (you can use your drill for this), and clamps clamps clamps clamps, etc. (you can never have too many clamps). A decent set of drill bits and a countersink bit are also a necessity. Sanders can be added down the line. Putty knives, biscuit joiners, corner clamps, a drill press, and many other tools can make things easier, but aren't needed at the start of the hobby.
Paul Carmody is another good source. undefinition
He's a no-nonsense guy. He's very helpful and a heck of a nice guy. He's got a lot of designs he freely shares.
Finally, don't get overwhelmed. A lot of guys will give advice so deep your head will spin. These are helpful guys, but I think the idea that a new guy doesn't understand all the deep stuff is forgotten a lot of times. Also, keep in mind how you'll use your speakers. If they are for casual listening in the garage, audio perfection might be overkill. If you plan on listening to them as your main speakers, precision is more important. And don't forget that you can always build nicer speakers the next time. If one build doesn't do what you want, you'll have something to go by to search for your next project.
If you're like most guys on this forum, one pair WILL NOT be enough. It's kind of addicting and a lot of fun if you don't take it too seriously. It's a great hobby and there are a lot of great guys willing to help on this forum and on the Parts Express Tech Talk forum Forums -
Techtalk Speaker Building, Audio, Video Discussion Forum
Have fun!
Mike
I'd go with the tools listed by nigelwright7557: a decent table saw (decent doesn't always mean expensive), a decent circular saw ( a saw with a track/guide can do in lieu of a table saw, if necessary, but you lose the ability to make cuts exactly the same size to a great extent), a jigsaw, a router and circle guide, drill, an electric screwdriver (you can use your drill for this), and clamps clamps clamps clamps, etc. (you can never have too many clamps). A decent set of drill bits and a countersink bit are also a necessity. Sanders can be added down the line. Putty knives, biscuit joiners, corner clamps, a drill press, and many other tools can make things easier, but aren't needed at the start of the hobby.
Paul Carmody is another good source. undefinition
He's a no-nonsense guy. He's very helpful and a heck of a nice guy. He's got a lot of designs he freely shares.
Finally, don't get overwhelmed. A lot of guys will give advice so deep your head will spin. These are helpful guys, but I think the idea that a new guy doesn't understand all the deep stuff is forgotten a lot of times. Also, keep in mind how you'll use your speakers. If they are for casual listening in the garage, audio perfection might be overkill. If you plan on listening to them as your main speakers, precision is more important. And don't forget that you can always build nicer speakers the next time. If one build doesn't do what you want, you'll have something to go by to search for your next project.
If you're like most guys on this forum, one pair WILL NOT be enough. It's kind of addicting and a lot of fun if you don't take it too seriously. It's a great hobby and there are a lot of great guys willing to help on this forum and on the Parts Express Tech Talk forum Forums -
Techtalk Speaker Building, Audio, Video Discussion Forum
Have fun!
Mike
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I’d highly recommend a router and a circle jig attachment. Ideally a table saw too, but obviously you may have to compromise there .
I cringe when I think about the old days and used a skilsaw and a guide .
The skilsaw would slip under the cheap guide I bought from Canadian Tire, and I’d lose it.
You can google it and make a far better guide for a skilsaw yourself .
I own a General table saw , a real beast , but I use a Festool Tracksaw for breaking down big sheets .
Makita makes a tracksaw that’s much cheaper and would work for you just as well .
There’s lot to learn , and youtube has some good videos about diffraction and other issues to avoid .
Fun hobby.
Personally I like overkill . Heavy ,thick , and lots of bracing
I cringe when I think about the old days and used a skilsaw and a guide .
The skilsaw would slip under the cheap guide I bought from Canadian Tire, and I’d lose it.
You can google it and make a far better guide for a skilsaw yourself .
I own a General table saw , a real beast , but I use a Festool Tracksaw for breaking down big sheets .
Makita makes a tracksaw that’s much cheaper and would work for you just as well .
There’s lot to learn , and youtube has some good videos about diffraction and other issues to avoid .
Fun hobby.
Personally I like overkill . Heavy ,thick , and lots of bracing
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Some things that would be good to know: What kind of amp will you be using and what will your music source be? How big is the area in which you'll be listening? How much room do you have for each speaker? Movies or music or both? What type of music do you listen to? Will there be an issue with WAF (Wife Approval Factor)? Have you ever soldered?
Mike
Mike
Thanks. I understand where you are coming from with the well thought out response . I see myself first building (probably Manzanita 2 way from the thread on this forum) and learning from this but at the same time get some satisfaction early on. From there I would see myself getting into theory a bit more and perhaps tinkering with the Manzanita and also building slightly more involved but tried and tested diy Setups.
Just trying to get sufficient knowledge for now to commence the Manzanita build without blowing something!!
3 different skill sets...
Hi Prolle,
May I suggest that you look at the whole of DIY loudspeaker building as a 3 way skill set:
(1) Woodworking / cabinet building - needs upfront investment in tools / workshop and can take years to get right.... But its great fun and very satisfying! Simple start is to get all your Plywood cabinets parts CNC'd and glue them up yourself... Later on you can buy all the required tools.
(2) Driver selection - Lots of advice on many forums and lots of good vendors. My advice... Avoid all "audiophile" drivers and stick to Pro sound drivers. Audiophile world is full of snake oil and old men trying to con the inexperienced.
(3) Crossover design - Easiest to get right with good DSP. Forget passive crossovers.... Always go active crossovers and use one power amplifier channel per loudspeaker driver. Re DSP crossovers... Either stand alone units such as new Mini DSP / DBX PA2 (great value and very good sound) or if you are using a PC / MAC as your source use a software based crossover / Eq.
Good luck and happy new year!
Cheers
Alex.
Hi Prolle,
May I suggest that you look at the whole of DIY loudspeaker building as a 3 way skill set:
(1) Woodworking / cabinet building - needs upfront investment in tools / workshop and can take years to get right.... But its great fun and very satisfying! Simple start is to get all your Plywood cabinets parts CNC'd and glue them up yourself... Later on you can buy all the required tools.
(2) Driver selection - Lots of advice on many forums and lots of good vendors. My advice... Avoid all "audiophile" drivers and stick to Pro sound drivers. Audiophile world is full of snake oil and old men trying to con the inexperienced.
(3) Crossover design - Easiest to get right with good DSP. Forget passive crossovers.... Always go active crossovers and use one power amplifier channel per loudspeaker driver. Re DSP crossovers... Either stand alone units such as new Mini DSP / DBX PA2 (great value and very good sound) or if you are using a PC / MAC as your source use a software based crossover / Eq.
Good luck and happy new year!
Cheers
Alex.
Depending on where you live, I'd be looking at woodworking co-ops as well. On one side you could see their generally extensive training before you're allowed to work on your own projects as a detriment, but on the other hand, if you're completely new to this stuff, then that's a very good way to get started *safely*. And co-ops will have machinery you would otherwise dream of having, which may well make even basic projects a lot easier to realize.
But as a newbie, kits/designs is really the best way to get your feet wet before jumping in yourself. Work your way up the learning curve!
But as a newbie, kits/designs is really the best way to get your feet wet before jumping in yourself. Work your way up the learning curve!
Thanks Mike. I have no AMP. I used to have brand amps and loudspeakers and spent far too much money. I had to sell when children came along and now I am looking to get back in, this time with a bit more sense, and a lot less money! WAF is a big factor, however I do have some limited experience with wood finishing/staining. Listening area is a strange one. I have a living room of approximately 170 sq ft with standard height ceiling, opening into a larger kitchen with a vaulted ceiling. Main purpose is music, with occasional movies. I have never soldered.
Thanks Alex, well laid out and thoiughful response.
1) I would be afraid that investing too heavily in woodworking equipment, the wife wouldn't approve
2) drivers- how do I tell the difference between pro and the snake oil? I assume the likes of fostex and eminence etc fall into the Pro category?
3) I will need to do further reading on this. For active crossovers, does this do away with inductors, resistor builds etc? I would think it doesn't..
Good news about amps is you can spend almost as little or as much as you want on an amp with decent quality. There are plenty of used, new, or kits available to get you a decent amp. PE offers a few that are decent. Craigslist or online classifieds are good for finding used equipment.
There are a lot of speaker designs available that are easy enough to satisfy the WAF acceptably. There are enough guys with the know-how to help with the type of speaker for your room.
Soldering tutorials are available on you tube. It's not difficult; it just takes a basic understanding of what it should do and some practice.
It sounds like you're in a good place to kick off the new adventure!
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